Phillips doesn't feel the heat, but he hopes Texans opponents do

Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has his players' attention. "The good thing about a reputation is they believe things before you go in," Phillips said.

Wade Phillips has a couple of "demands," which, given his demeanor, are actually sort of suggestions lacking any push or bite. He'll discuss where he has been and where the Texans are heading, but he won't disparage any parties in doing so.

And, after tugging at his sweat-saturated shirt, he'd like to seek some shade. Phillips points to a covered area next to a nearby field.

He doesn't mind talking, but he'd like to escape the heat.

Most would acknowledge that's what transpired nearly a year ago after a 1-7 start in what ultimately would be his final season in Dallas. Fired Nov. 8 by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Phillips became the scapegoat in a season gone wrong.

"We were 34-22 in Dallas - I can live with that," Phillips said. "I was with Marty Schottenheimer when he was 14-2 and got fired. ... I just try to do the best I can do, and I can live with that."

Critics will harp on his shortcomings as a head coach - no, he's not his father, Bum, even though his 82-59 overall record is more than respectable - but his credentials in his current role cannot be questioned. His success is part of league lore - in the first season the last four times he has been a defensive coordinator, Phillips has helped guide a losing team to the playoffs.

"I've done this several times, you know," Phillips said Jan. 4. "I think I know what it takes."

And now, nearly nine months later? Nothing has changed. After 35 years in the business, his resolve is as strong as ever.

Yes, he's good. But he's not a savior, even if that's how he's being perceived for a defense that finished last season 30th in total defense and dead last against the pass.

"It's Mr. (Bob) McNair's team first," Phillips said. "Really, the things he's done to get players to help us, and No. 2, it's Gary (Kubiak's) team. It's not my defense - it's the Texans' defense. We count on the offense. The offense ran 90 plays (against San Francisco in preseason). If they don't run 90 plays, we have to play more defense, and we don't look quite as good and the stats don't look as good. It takes everybody. I'm a team player - always have been, always will be. I think that's what wins for you."

And that's the reason he's back in Houston, where he started his professional coaching career. What he learned coaching the linebackers and then the defensive line for his father, Phillips is still applying now.

"We try to work a lot of technique stuff," he said. "We try to get our assignments down where we don't make any mental mistakes as far as assignments go, but that's not the whole story. It's the technique behind that - how do you do those things.

"You can say, 'You've got him in man-to-man, or rush the passer,' but how do you do those things and how do we get each individual to utilize his talent to be able to do it better."

Personnel may change, but the principles of his 3-4 don't. And neither have the results.

"The good thing about a reputation is they believe things before you go in," Phillips said. "When I was first coordinator, I had to convince everybody that I knew what I was doing. It does help. It helps that, 'Hey, this guy knows what he's doing (and) if we'll get the things that he says right, then it will work.' "

It's that kind of credibility Kubiak was seeking in a successor for Frank Bush.

"Pressure's a scheme - it's believing in a scheme," Kubiak said. "Obviously, Wade's scheme has gotten there for many, many years, not just this preseason, and our guys believe in it. We've got a lot of guys pitching in, so that's been very encouraging."

Was there any doubt? Of course. This is an organization that still hasn't experienced the playoffs.

"Once we went out and got a safety and corner, and we did the things we did in the draft, we felt like - now you never know for sure until they get out and do it - we thought we had good personnel and if we got them in the right places and utilize their ability, we'd be able to do well," Phillips said.

He is so matter of fact regarding what was a seismic offseason, as if he is unaware of the unfulfilled expectations of years past. Then again, he wasn't here.

So, in his mind, there is no pressure. Not if Phillips simply does what he has always done, which is transform underachieving defenses into units assisting offenses in the pursuit of the postseason.

If he just does his job, the Texans should have it made - made in the shade.